


Why I like math

by sinesofinsanity



Category: Mathematics (Anthropomorphic)
Genre: Alternate interpretations of homework, Gen, Grade 7 mathematics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-24
Updated: 2012-12-24
Packaged: 2017-11-22 06:34:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/606875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinesofinsanity/pseuds/sinesofinsanity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The sun drenched pages, the integer strewn battlefield, the variable lying in stark defeat: truly this was a battle of legend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Why I like math

**Author's Note:**

  * For [genericgeekgirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/genericgeekgirl/gifts).



> I realize this isn't _quite_ what you probably thought anthropomorphic mathematics would be, but it was fun to write.
> 
> Apologies to kiki_eng for not adding your suggestion. I wanted to get this posted in time for Yuletide.

As the sun rose over the battlefield, a lone figure stood, surveying the expanse below her. This was her challenge, her time to prove her worth. As her enemies assembled she singled out those identified with an odd-number: her targets. She narrowed her eyes, took a breath and prepared her assault. 

She dove in, the front troops caught unaware by her surprise attack. Her weapon flew, slashing across her enemies and leaving them finished in her wake. The first few were always the easiest, warm-ups even, bringing her to focus and steering her into a pattern. Right to left, top to bottom, ones to tens to hundreds to thousands she plowed through, truly breaking into a stride as she recited her multiplication tables, recalling the sevens which are often the most difficult. Mnemonics, right hand rules, equations, and strategies lined up for her to use as needed. When the calculation was too slow she estimated to be sure she was on the right track. “Round up for five, round down for four, bump it up for nine” she muttered, tackling all who stood in her way. Her enemies pressed upon her as she worked her way through, becoming increasingly difficult as she approached the end of the battlefield. Once or twice she stumbled, missing a decimal point, mistaking positive for negative, or forgetting to carry the five. But each time she rose up, double checked her actions and fought on, leaving none untried and few incomplete.

Suddenly, the advance troops backed off, beaten perhaps by the warrior and her arsenal; or merely terrified of the enemies that now rose to challenge her. She set her teeth. None had beaten her yet, and she wouldn’t let them beat her today. It may take every weapon she had, but no matter what terror awaited, she would face it. Slowly, her new combatant appeared on the field of battle. She analyzed it carefully. It resembled the previous challenges, but was much more complicated. The strategy to meet it with was not immediately clear. Suddenly, more such creatures appeared, large and cumbersome, to beat each would require multiple steps. Their weak points, numbers, and operations were hidden behind hideous armour of phrases, decoy information, and words. Choosing the one in front of her, the warrior leapt in. Recalling her training she sought key words that would point to how she could beat the monstrosity. Sum, difference, quotient, total, less, double, half, times, groups of, more, split, and altogether. She hunted for these to pierce the enemy’s armour. When it lay finished at her feet she turned to the next. This one required more strategy, she worked backwards: to beat it she first needed to know what information would provide the answer, back up, find that information, then sucker-punch the beast with numbers from outside sources. When the third enemy loomed above her she noticed it to be in fact several smaller enemies disguised as one. She dealt with each as neatly and efficiently as she had earlier, using the results from each small victory to reveal a final solution. Her last foe was particularly challenging, but what seemed insurmountable at first was beaten one step at a time, starting with what she knew and fighting steadily onward, moving closer and closer to the end. Each step required a new strategy, a new equation, new operation, or new set of numbers, but each built on the last, using the solutions from before as the multipliers, divisors, addition or subtraction inputs. Finally she swung her weapon once more and her foe collapsed, defeated, at her feet.


End file.
